1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to boat drive mounting configurations and, more particularly, to the tie bars and the mounts used to connect the boat drives to the steering system and to each other.
2. Background Information
Many different types of boats use multiple drives to power the boat. Whether these drives are inboard or outboard, the drives must be synchronized to efficiently power the boat. The typical prior art synchronization arrangement is depicted in FIGS. 1-3 wherein tie bars 10 extend between the drives 12. Tie bars 10 are connected to mounting flanges 14 that extend from the portions of drives 12 that project out from the rear of the boat 16.
Prior art mounting arrangements such as the one depicted in FIGS. 1-3 do not completely synchronize drives 12 when drives 12 are turned as depicted in FIG. 2. The incomplete synchronization results in inefficient drive arrangement in the turns and boat 16 loses power. FIG. 2 depicts a turning configuration wherein angle A is different from angle B which is different from angle C. The differences in these angles are caused by the relationship between mounting flanges 14 and the centerlines of drives 12. The art desires a mounting configuration that allows drives 12 to turn at identical angles. The interconnections between drives 12 must also compensate for different vertical offsets depending on the vertical locations of drives 12 with respect to boat 16.
Another problem with prior art mounting configurations is that tie bars 10 used to connect drives 12 rapidly wear when each tie bar 10 rotates about its longitudinal axis. Such rotation is caused when drives 12 turn back and forth. The wear is also caused by the constant vibration experienced by each tie bar 10. Worn tie bars 10 become loose and do not accurately turn drives 12. Boat owners do not like changing the bars and desire an engineered, high-quality tie bar designed to withstand the operating environment over time. The boat owner must also replace worn bars. Severely worn bars create a dangerous situation where control over a drive may be lost suddenly. The art thus desires a tie bar configuration that may continuously rotate in a manner that does not loosen the bar.
Another problem with some prior art systems is that the rotation of the tie bar changes the length of the bar. The length of the bar changes because the bar includes threaded parts. Such rotation is undesirable because of the length change and the wear between the threaded parts.
Another drawback with prior art mounting configurations is that the brackets and mounting flanges connected to drives 12 cannot be adjusted and do not provide connection arrangements that may be selectively reconfigured for different types of drives 12 and different types of boats 16. The art desires a drive mount that can accommodate a variety of drive configurations.
The invention provides a drive mounting configuration wherein the drives of a boat are connected together at their centerlines so that the drives are turned at equal angles and are synchronized by the steering system of the boat.
The invention provides a tie bar used to interconnect the drives wherein the tie bar is designed to repeatedly and reliably rotate 360 degrees in the same direction without loosening or changing its length.
The invention also provides a reconfigurable mount that is adapted to be connected to the portion of the drive that extends from the back of the boat. The mount may be configured in a right hand, center, double, or left hand configuration. The mounts may also support different vertical offset mounting configurations in a reliable manner using a single mounting pin and spacer combination.